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make your perfume last

What if I told you that what you see above is all you need to make your perfume last from your morning meeting to date-night cocktails? It’s true–seriously.

Perfume and I have always had a love/hate relationship. I find it so pretty and feminine, but in my life, I’ve found only a few fragrances that I don’t get sick from wearing. Obviously, I need to maximize my efforts when I can, so I’ve come up with a few ways to make my perfume last all day long.

Moisturize: Perfume clings best to well-hydrated skin, but you don’t want your scents to compete–Sweet Pea lotion from Bath and Body Works doesn’t really pair well with a sexy sandalwood scent. Post-shower, lather up with an unscented lotion (I like Vaseline’s, but Jergen’s and Dove also make good ones!) in preparation.

Prep with petroleum jelly: Put a light (read: very thin) coat of petroleum jelly, like Vaseline, on pulse points, like the backs of your knees. The fragrance will cling to the jelly instead of sinking into your skin, which would make you need to re-apply later in the day.

Spritz your mane: Every girl wants that shampoo commercial moment–you know, you flip your hair and flowers and unicorns fly out and the whole room smells amazing. Well, from my experience, that rarely happens. Especially if, like me, you use heating tools. One of my favorite ways to bring fragrance to my hair is using ribbon hair ties and a few quick spritzes of fragrance. Because spraying perfume on your hair can be drying, spraying it on the elastics is a great way to lightly scent it. I usually spray my elastic, put my hair up into a high bun while doing my makeup and getting dressed and then once I take it down, it’s “infused” with a fragrance that lasts the day.

Spray and roll: So your skin is moisturized and prepped–what’s next? The perfume, of course! I spray it on the basic pulse points (wrists, nape of neck, cleavage, inside of your elbows, behind the knees) before getting dressed. A good rule of thumb: throughout the day, you should catch wiffs of your chosen scent. If you’re smelling it constantly, or find that people are ducking out of whatever room you enter, chances are you put on too much. Just in case, I always pack a rollerball version of my favorite scent (currently Viktor & Rolf’s Flower Bomb) for mid-day touchups if needed!

They are so handy, Yi-chia! Definitely definitely get some. Thanks for your sweet comments!

http://arayofsunblog.com arayofsun

Oh I love these tips. I am the same way I’ve found two scents that I really love and I never feel like they last that long once a I put them on. I think the hair tie tip is especially clever!
xoxo
Megan

alongobucco

Thanks so much, Megan! I feel like finding your signature scent is half the battle…and the other half is making it last!

http://www.adoredlife.blogspot.com Alissa

I had NO idea these would help me! I am going to try them out tomorrow!

alongobucco

Yay! So glad I could help…it took me a while to get it to last

http://www.fizzandfrosting.com Lauren

Such great tips! I notice that my perfume only lasts a couple hours, so I’m definitely going to give these a try!

I tried your hair tie idea while I was getting ready this morning and my hair smells great! If your fragrance doesn’t come in a rollerball (or you don’t want to buy the gift set to get the travel sized), stores like Sephora and Nordstrom sometimes have free samples. I’ll grab a couple and keep them in my purse for on-the-go spritzes!

xx
M

http://glossymusings.com/ Alyssa

That’s a great idea, M! I need to learn to ask like that for stuff more often.

http://www.rachelslookbook.com Rachel

Wow, I never knew!!!! I always spritz some in my hair because that’s the only way I’ve kinda made it last, but such great advice! Thank you thank you thank you!

Seriously the best tips I’ve read to make scent last! I’ve never heard the vaseline idea but makes total sense. Love flowerbomb too

http://glossymusings.com/ Alyssa

Thanks so much, Elle!

http://www.charminglystyled.com Maya

I should start spritizing my hair, especially on those days where I don’t shower – I’m only human, so some perfume would help, hehe.

xx,
Maya

http://glossymusings.com/ Alyssa

Haha I feel ya, Maya!

http://www.blithestyle.blogspot.com teben1991

I love the idea of spraying hair elastics! Very clever. And I’ve been coveting Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb since it first came out but I can’t bring myself to spend that much money on perfume… Ahh maybe for Christmas?!

Oh my god, I died laughing at this. Mostly because it’s so true! Anyway, I loved this post. My viva la juicy perfume just ran out so I’m glad I have these tips to extend the wear of my perfume when I invest in a new bottle.

Steph

alongobucco

Haha so glad you found it helpful! And love the smell of that Juicy perfume!